Arch support



Patented Oct. 14, 1952 UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE Joseph A. Amico, Rochester, N. Y.

Application January 3, 1948, Serial No. 438

The human foot has ``ve metatarsal bones which bones are long and narrowand are numbered from one to five, and the rst metatarsal bone is in line with the big toe ofthe foot. Some or all of these metatarsal bones get out of place and get to an abnormal position in the foot and need special `treatment to get them back to normal position. This most frequently occurs in connection with the second, third and fourth metatarsal bones and less frequently with the first metatarsal bone and still less frequently in the fifth metatarsal bone. Y

Shoes generally are made accordingto certain standards which is determined by the shape of the last on which the shoe isl made'. have the abnormal features must conform themselves to the standard shoes that are worn and this frequently causes discomfort in the abnormal foot wearing a standard shoe. Heretofore arch supports have been made that contain more or less metal and which are used for the purpose of forcing the'misplaced metatarsal bones back to position.

I have invented an insole and arch support that contains no metal. It consists of an ordi.- nary leather insole to the under side of which is attached a well-known cookie, the shape of which is impressed on the insole. Under the cookie and the insole, I place the first `metatarsal pad. The top of the insole is then covered with several coats of rubber cement. The shank portion of the insole is then covered with a perforated rubber pad, which is intended to come immediately under the archof the foot.

This perforated rubber pad is soft enough so that it will compress to some extent under the pressure of the foot and will relax again with every step that the foot takes and this in turn causes an intermittent suction on the instep, that is it causes a suction with every step that the foot takes. p

A second metatarsal pad is vplaced partly on top of the rubber pad and partly on the insole forward of the rubber pad. This assembly is then lcovered with` a leather skin coating impregnated with ground clay which makes it absorbent asa blotter. This leather coating also protects the stocking. l

For this purposelstart with an'insole that is longer both at the toe and the heelthan the shoe in which it is intended to be worn. It is neces- 'sary to'bring the supporting pads to the correct position under the metatarsal bones of the foot, and for this lpurpose the insole must. be cut Vaway either at the toe or the heel or in both Feet that 3 Claims. (Cl. 36--71) leather.

2 places to bring the pads in correct positionunder the second, third and fourth metatarsal bones of the foot. Thereafter the insole can be inserted in the shoe and worn. p

I have found that this 4insole and larch support will, in a large number of cases, bring the second. third and fourth metatarsal bones'instantly and correctly back to the'norxnal position or at least will start and gradually bring them back to correct position because it is more elastic than' any metal support could be.

This insole, if necessary, can be worn for several weeks and can then be replaced with a second insole that will in another short period restore the metatarsal `bones tothe correct positions.

It will also be understood that While the first metatarsal bone needs correction less frequently, this arch'support will bring the rst metatarsal bone eventually back to position and will also bring the fifth metatarsal bone back to position,

if out of position, which still much less frequently.

happens. This support, if necessary, can also be modied toV better rsecure these results.

These and other objects of the invention will be illustrated in the drawings, described in the specification and pointed out in the claims at the end thereof.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a top plan View ofthe insole completely assembled for the right foot..k y f Figure 2 is a longitudinal 'section through the insole on the line 2x, 2m of Figure 1.

Figure3 is a transverse section through the insole taken on the line 3x, 3a: of Figures 1 and 2. Figure 4 is a transverse section on the line 4m, 4x of Figures -1 and 2.

Figure 5 is a section through` the heel pad, which pad is put under the insole and the location of it is indicated by the line 5x, 5a: of Figure 1. This pad is about two and a half inches long 1alnd1 one-third of the Width of the insole at the ee Figure 6 is a top plan View of the small siae perforated rubber pad that I use to cover the upright part of the cookie and part of the insole.

In the drawings, like reference 4numerals indicate like parts. In the drawings, reference numeral l indicate the insole that is preferably made of thin sole This insole is normally longer than the shoe in which it is intended to nt and' must be cut away at the toe or heel Vor at both places .before it can be used -in the shoe.

To the underside of the insole is attached a cookie 4. The cookie is attached to the insole by a row of stitches indicated by the reference numeral 5. This row is indicated in dotted lines and the line outside of the line and parallel thereto indicates the edge of the cookie. This cookie is separately pressed to shape and is stii enough so that it will hold the insole to the concave convex form that is previously impressed on the cookie to which it is connected, so that the shape of the insole will correspond to the shape of the cookie'and give the insole the fixed concave convex shape shown at 2 in Figure 2.

The concave portion under the insole is lled in with an elastic vcomposition which composition is made up of a large percentage of cork and a very small percentage of rubber held together with a, binder. This forms `a supporting pad 3, known as the rst metatarsal pad.

Under the insole and in the concaveformed by the cookie is sometimes placed an extension 3a of the `pad 3 which-is intended to .support the iirst tar'sal bone. Y `This` extension is .also .made fof a composition of'a'largepercentage of-cork anda small percentage .of rubber. l On top of the insole andin the middleof the insole and somewhat in advance of the first .supporting pad is placed a second supportingpad Bfcomp'osed of .a smaller percentage of cork. and a', considerably larger percentageof rubber held ltogether'with a binder than is containedinthe `rst pad 3 above named. This pad. is more elastic l or softer and more compressible than the vfirst vpad andforms an extension'in the.pad.3.

K A'This pad is. known as the second metatarsal pad.r `The first pad3 under the insole .is intended 4to support, more especially, the nerves and ligamentsof the foot and the second pad 76 is 'intended to support 'the three metatarsal bones lof the foot;l namely, the second, thirdandfourth fmetatarsal'bones.. vThe pad 3 has -a vso-calleol L50J`percent of elasticity and themetatarsaLpad 6""has'a so-'called`75 percent of .elasticity .under the pressure of the foot. That is, under the .pres- "sure of thefoot the pad 3 may compress 150 percent andthe pad'6` may compress '75'. percent or thereabouts.

'At the rear ofthe 'metatarsal pad 6 l and partiallyundeilying it, arubber pad`8isplaced on top of the insole, which pad covers the upright part of the cookie 4 as well. 'That is, the part above the insoleshown at the' top of Figure-1. This rubber' pad 'is rperforated with aV large number of smallholes', .or in'oth'er .words is made porous by these holes'. y

iThis'rubber 'pad'is intended to warm ori heat Vup the sole'of the footandm'ake it. perspirezand the holes in the rubber pad permit the.. moisture to pass through and be absorbed'bythe cookie, -'the insole-and thepads-abovereferredt o. {.To "increase theheating-and perspiring. effectofthe rubber pad, a larger V'pad'may'be' usedH which tweenll-these twopadsfmay be-used moreor'less.

IThe insole 'with its cookieandipadsjso made up is then measured to' fit the foot yand 'the shoe Min which'it is -tolbe'worn -so that the Ipads 3land 6 will come under the second; thirdarid fourth Lzmetatarsal' bones asthey loccuriin the Yindividual foot. To secure' this result? the insole 4is/made -front'and'ba'ck longer than the insole should be `.rtoiitithe shoe and .inorder to'l bring" the -pads `to the lcorrect position under the sole. the -insole is cut away at the -toe and-the il-ieel so as l-to posi- 4 tion the pads correctly under the metatarsal bones of the foot. If more is cut away at the toe, then less will be cut away at the heel or vice versa so that the total amount cut away will be substantially the same in each case for insoles of the same size.

Preferably before the toe and heel of the insole are cut away several coats of rubber cement are placed on top of the insole and on the pad 6. These coats of rubber cement will close up the pores of the insole and on top of this is placed the skin 9, the edges of which are turned under .the insole. This skin is made preferably of thin sole leather. It has no oil in it. It is dry and is impregnated with pulverized clay so that it can freely'absorb as a blotter absorbs.

In .this way, a large number of complete inup and after the measurements of the foot have been taken with reference to the position of the second, thirdand fourth metatarsal bones and withreference .to 4thetoeand the heel ofthe foot, ythelinsolev canbecut awayat the toe and the heelso vthat `when the insole is placedin the shoe, themetatarsalpads of the insole will be underandwill correctly.- support the metatarsal bones so .as tobringthemback to normal position, whichinsole can be replaced in a f ew weeks by.a..secon'd`in'sole that will in another short periodrestore them fullyto their correctposition.

In a large number of .insoles iitted .to shoes of the same size the position .of the metatarsal pads .willoccur at different distances from the heel .andtoe of the insoleso itis possiblev'that no` two of .them willbe alike, but each insole will .properly support the metatarsal bones of the foot to which it is adapted. p

The skin 9 will prevent .the stockingonuthe `foot from sticking to therubber cement on4 the insole. .The rubber padI 8 is perforated with holes. These holesare spacedapart by a distance about equal to the diameter of theholes. Thesev holes are closed on ythe bottom ,by the insole; sov that .theholes formcups andeven though this rubber .pad iscovered by-.thegskin coating'these holes "have asuctionfeffect ont-he so1e;of thefootl with every-.step taken. It-,is :alsoitruesthat thefskin Vi s.so thinzthat Alit-is' like a. tissue. It is split=from ,sole leather. andtisknown. to theptrade asj' split leather. .and is .splitrfrom' the. lflesh side of. sole lleather and 'is therefore porous so thatitcan be. impregnatedL with ..olay.

Theconcave convex areas ofthe insole willflt :the archof ithet foot close enough sol as tolbring 'the 'holesfclose up to the skin on the bottomof the foot .andtthelperforationswill-have a suction :effectwhich massages the underside of the foot .an'drstimulates circulation andA causes the sole of the' foot Vto perspire freely andy this causes the foot to throw off impurities. The'perspiration :of the-foot-isacid-and theacid of thefperspira- -tionand kthe'impurities that arebrought out with =it are absorbedf by the-leather skinv and they `of-fit Awill become' inc1eased-'and for? sanitary reasons the' insole. will have tojbe replaced with 1 another insole.

4 I have also found that vthe second insole that replaces the first one will last for a much longer time than does the first one.

The insole is sometimes supplemented by the use of a heel pad I0 shown in Figure 5, which pad is built up on the bottom of the insole with the same composition of cork and rubber that is used under the insole in the arch.

I have formed the rst and second pads of cork and rubber with a binder by mixing the composition in a pasty form and applying them to the bottom of the insole and to the top of the insole and then let them set and dry, but I have found it easier to use the same composition preformed in dry sheets and from which I have cut the two pads to size before they are fastened to the insole and the pads are trimmed either before or after they are fastened to the insole.

The first pad is left with its full thickness on the edge exposed under the cookie as is shown in Figure 3 but it tapers olf thin on the other three edges. The second pad also is thick in the center as shown in Figure 4 and tapers off around the edges that the edges gradually merge with the surface of the insole, to which they are attached, thus avoiding unnecessary ridges under the foot.

It will also be understood that while the insole shown in the drawing is for the right foot, corresponding insoles have been and can be made for the left foot, the parts being reversed symmetrically from right to left as they would appear in the drawing when held up to the light and looked through from the back.

It will also be understood that in addition to the stitches, the cookie can be cemented to the insole and both the iirst and second pads and the rubber pad and the skin covering are all held in place by rubber cement. This is necessary in order to give the insole and various parts of it the exibility and elasticity that is desired.

I claim:

1. An arch support comprising an insole having a narrow intermediate part, a cookie having a convex pattern on its top side, said cookie being fastened on the underside of the insole at one side thereof at its narrow part so that the insole conforms in shape to a portion of the top of the cookie, said cookie having a concave pattern on its underside, an imperforate pad having low elasticity placed in the concave part under the cookie and beneath the insole, said cookie and said rst named pad holding that intermediate part of the insole in the form of an arch, an imperforate second pad placed on top of the insole above the cookie and partially in advance of the said rst named pad, said second pad having a greater degree of elasticity than the first pad, one or more coats of rubber cement pla-ced on top of the assembly, a dry absorbent skin coat of ground clay-impregnated leather placed on top of the rubber cement.

2. An arch support comprising an insole having a narrow intermediate part, a cookie having a convex pattern on its top side, said cookie being fastened on the underside of the insole at one side thereof at its narrow part so that the insole conforms in shape to a portion of the top of the cookie, said cookie having a concave pattern on its underside, an imperforate pad having low elasticity placed on the concave part under the cookie and beneath the insole, said cookie and said rst named pad holding that intermediate part of the insole in the form of an arch, a second imperforate pad placed on top of the insole above the cookie and partially in advance of the said first named pad, said second pad having a greater degree of elasticity than the rst pad, one or more coats of rubber cement placed on top of the assembly, a dry absorbent skin coat of ground clayimpregnated thin sole leather placed on top of 'the rubber cement, a perforated sheet rubber pad placed beneath the skin coat on top of the arch of the insole.

3. An arch support comprising an insole having a narrow intermediate part or shank, a cookie having a convex pattern on its top side, said cookie being fastened on the underside of the insole at one side thereof at its narrow part so that the insole conforms in shape to a portion of the top of the cookie, said cockie having a concave pattern on its underside, an imperforate pad having low elasticity placed in the concave part under the cookie and beneath the insole, said cookie and said first named pad holding that intermediate part of the insole in the form of an arch, a second imperforate pad placed on top of the insole above the cookie and partially in advance of the said first named pad, said second pad having a greater degree of elasticity than the rst pad, a rubber pad placed on top of the shank of the insole, said rubber pad being full of perforations which perforations are spaced apart by a distance about equal to the diameter of the perforations and a dry absorbent skin of ground clay-impregnated thin sole leather overlying said insole, second pad and rubber pad, and secured thereto by rubber cement. l

JOSEPH A. AlVHCO.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,901,353 Mitchie Mar. 14, 1933 2,095,532 Riga-ndi Oct. 12, 1937 2,366,096 Gerber Dec. 26, 1944 

